"Cervical cancer was once one of the most common causes of cancer death among women in the U.S., but today many cases of cervical cancer are prevented through widespread use of the Pap test.

Vaccines are also available to prevent infection by certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), a major cause of cervical cancer, as well as many other cancers.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), cervical cancer tends to develop in midlife. Most women are diagnosed with cervical cancer before the age of 50.

Most cervical cancers begin in an area called the transformation zone, where the inner part of the cervix closest to the uterus (the endocervix) meets the outer part of the cervix closest to the vagina (the ectocervix).

Infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) is the main risk factor for cervical cancer, causing more than 90 percent of those diagnosed with cervical cancer."